History

Historical Research and Historiography

2,452 Questions

Historical research and historiography analyze how history is written and interpreted. This topic includes primary sources, oral histories, and public history challenges. It is an important section for UPSC and state PSC civil services examinations.

Primary and secondary sourcesPublic history challengesOral history methodsHistorical memory studiesDigital archives in researchBias and empathy in history

Historical Research and Historiography Questions

Multiple choice general knowledge

Meaning for Surnames?

  1. It reveals much historical information, reflecting the occupation, the location or the nickname of the original name bearer

  2. Name of the place where you live reveal a hidden past as a medieval village, a Viking settlement, or a Regency hot spot

  3. Previously unknown and fabulously wealthy relative seems as good a reason as any to look into your family's history

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Surnames reveal historical information about a person's ancestry, including their family's occupation (like Smith or Baker), geographic origin (like London or Hill), or personal characteristics/nicknames (like Brown or Little). This genealogical information helps trace family history through generations. Option B describes place names specifically, not surnames in general.

Multiple choice softskills communication

A good historian merely makes ---- and accumulates facts; a great historian uses ---- to understand why events occurred the way they did.

  1. references . . evidence

  2. observations . . imagination

  3. arguments . . texts

  4. errors . . sympathy
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The contrast is between a 'good' historian (who just collects facts) and a 'great' historian (who interprets them). 'Observations' fits what a historian collects, while 'imagination' is needed to understand causes and connections behind raw facts. 'References' and 'evidence' are too similar, 'arguments' is too strong for merely collecting, and 'sympathy' doesn't fit the analytical context.

Multiple choice technology

Is conversation history important for Post Mortem?

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Conversation history is crucial for post-mortem analysis because it provides a chronological record of what happened, what actions were taken, and how the incident evolved. This timeline helps identify root causes and improve future response procedures.

Multiple choice

Directions: A brief passage or a statement is given, and a question is asked, based on the information provided by the passage/statement. The question has four alternatives marked from 1 to 4. Critically examine them and choose the best answer.

It is essential that school children learn improved facts about their country’s history. While teaching history, there has been a difference of opinion whether the young should be told only of the nation’s heroes. The obvious argument is that it would help them to have an appreciation of their virtues. But this ignores the fact that

  1. it requires lot of effort to rewrite the history, omitting the follies and misdeeds of the past

  2. the follies and misdeeds may be educative for after all a student is an adult in the making with a role to play in future

  3. it is a moot question as to who is to judge what are follies and misdeeds

  4. an assessment of the heroes is also a difficult one since the yardstick may not be acceptable to all
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

(2) They may have much to learn from the follies and misdeeds of the past.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the following passage and answer the question that follows.

It is that teachers have learned from bitter experience how little history their pupils retain as they pass along the regular route. No teacher of history will deny this. Still, it is a standing challenge to existing methods of historical instruction. If the study of history cannot be made truly progressive like the study of mathematics, science, and languages, then the historians assume a grave responsibility in adding their subject to the already overloaded curriculum. If the successive historical texts are only enlarged editions of the first text — more facts, more dates, more words — then history deserves most of the sharp criticism which it is receiving from teachers of science, civics, and economics.

According to the passage, what does the history subject receive from the teachers of other subjects?

  1. Facts

  2. High appreciation

  3. Sharp criticism

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

It is mentioned in the last line of the paragraph.

Multiple choice history sources of medieval india sources of modern history introduction to medieval india sources of medieval history

Why 'Bakhar' is an important type of historical documents of medieval times?

  1. It contains eulogies of heroes.

  2. It contain stories of historic events.

  3. It contain stories of battles and lives of great men.

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Bakhar is a form of historical narrative written in Marathi prose. They are considered valuable resources for depicting the history of Maratha region. The most important Bhakar tells about deeds and valor of great Maratha ruler Shivaji. Although Bakhars are considered as assets that describe the Marathi history, they are also criticized for falsification, embellishment, and magnification of facts. Some common Bakhars are  Sabhasad bakhar, Mahikavatichi bakhar, Kalmi bakhar, Chitnis bakhar, Peshwayanchi bakhar etc.

Multiple choice historical tools and life of people in britain life in britain in the twentieth century history

The historian Ian Dawson suggested a set of rules to decide if an event is significant or not. Which of the following was not one of them?

  1. The event changed people's ideas.

  2. The events had a long-lasting impact on their country and world.

  3. The event changed or impacted events at the time.

  4. The event improved lots of politicians life or made them worse.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation
The historian Ian Dawson suggested a set of rules to decide if an event is significant or not. He said that for an event to be significant it needed to have the following:
  • The event changed people's ideas.
  • The events had a long-lasting impact on their country and world.
  • The event changed or impacted events at the time.
  • The event improved lots of people's life or made them worse.

Multiple choice history how, when and where sources of modern history introduction to medieval india sources of medieval history

Dates are important to history because they help in chronologically showing cause and effect relationships between events.

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Dates are important to history because, they help in chronologically showing cause and effect relationships between events.

By knowing exactly when things occurred, historians can also more accurately compare different societies at specific points in time.
Hence, the above statement is true.

Multiple choice history how, when and where sources of modern history introduction to medieval india sources of medieval history

Why do we try and divide history into different periods?

  1. To capture the characteristics of a time

  2. To capture the characteristics of knowledge

  3. To capture the characteristics of education

  4. To capture the characteristics of happiness
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

We try and divide history into different periods in order to capture the characteristics of time. Also, it is done to capture the central features of that particular time. It is important to demarcate the difference between periods as they reflect our ideas about the past. Also, we come to know about the region involved and chronological study of events.

Thus, the correct answer is A.

Multiple choice history heritage management conservation and preservation of heritage sources of modern history introduction to medieval india

Which of the following factors are important from the viewpoint of history?

  1. Individuals

  2. Society

  3. Place and time

  4. All of above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Four factors are very important from the viewpoint of history. They are- Individuals, Society, Place and time. History must be based on authentic evidence or proofs. These proofs are known as the source of history.

Multiple choice history heritage management conservation and preservation of heritage sources of modern history introduction to medieval india

Why material sources, written sources and oral sources of history are collected and thoroughly examined?

  1. To make collection

  2. To determine the reliability

  3. For fun purposes

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Due to the absence of proper maintaining of records in the past, a single reliable source of information is not present. Therefore, to determine the reliability of the information, material sources, written sources and oral sources of history are collected and thoroughly examined.

Hence, B is the correct option.

Multiple choice history applied history preservation of our heritage preserving indian heritage spread and propagation of indian culture

Historical research method includes understanding the references regarding time and space of the given historical events and also various conceptual frameworks used in historical research method.

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Historical research requires contextualizing events within their specific time and space, while also applying theoretical frameworks to interpret the evidence correctly.